Personalized Hydration Strategy to Improve Fluid Balance and Intermittent Exercise Performance in the Heat.

Sweat rate and electrolyte losses have a large inter-individual variability. A personalized approach to hydration can overcome this issue to meet an individual's needs. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a personalized hydration strategy (PHS) on fluid balance and intermittent exercise performance. Twelve participants conducted 11 laboratory visits including a VO2max test and two 5-day trial arms under normothermic (NOR) or hyperthermic (HYP) environmental conditions. Each arm began with three days of familiarization exercise followed by two random exercise trials with either a PHS or a control (CON). Then, participants crossed over to the second arm for: NOR+PHS, NOR+CON, HYP+PHS, or HYP+CON. The PHS was prescribed according to the participants' fluid and sweat sodium losses. CON drank ad libitum of commercially-available electrolyte solution. Exercise trials consisted of two phases: (1) 45 min constant workload; (2) high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIT) until exhaustion. Fluids were only provided in phase 1. PHS had a significantly greater fluid intake (HYP+PHS: 831.7 ± 166.4 g; NOR+PHS: 734.2 ± 144.9 g) compared to CON (HYP+CON: 369.8 ± 221.7 g; NOR+CON: 272.3 ± 143.0 g), regardless of environmental conditions (p < 0.001). HYP+CON produced the lowest sweat sodium concentration (56.2 ± 9.0 mmol/L) compared to other trials (p < 0.001). HYP+PHS had a slower elevated thirst perception and a longer HIIT (765 ± 452 s) compared to HYP+CON (548 ± 283 s, p = 0.04). Thus, PHS reinforces fluid intake and successfully optimizes hydration status, regardless of environmental conditions. PHS may be or is an important factor in preventing negative physiological consequences during high-intensity exercise in the heat.

Systematic evaluation of cell-free insulin DNA levels in early blood glucose testing as a predictor of postpartum hypertension in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perinatal outcome of postpartum hypertension in pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM). METHODS: A total of 100 puerperae who gave birth in our hospital from March 2018 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 50 patients were puerperae with postpartum hypertension (experimental group), and 50 puerperae had normal postpartum blood pressure (control group). Before delivery, fasting, postprandial and bedtime blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and urine glucose were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Before delivery, the experimental group observed significantly higher fasting, postprandial, and bedtime blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and urine glucose than the control group (P<0.05). A notable decline in natural delivery rate was witnessed in the experimental group (P<0.05). The two groups presented no significant differences in neonatal outcomes, neonatal blood glucose and blood pressure, maternal blood pressure at 30 weeks and 34 weeks of pregnancy, and blood lipid levels during pregnancy (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Postpartum hypertension in pregnant women with GDM results in a low probability of natural birth and it has a slight impact on the fetus.

On the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and urbanization: A case study in Wuhan, China.

A clear understanding of the relationship between ecosystem services (ESs) and urbanization provides new insight into urban landscape planning and decision making. Although a considerable amount of literature has focused on this topic, few studies address the spatial interactions between ESs and urbanization, especially at the local scale. Various models and multisource data were integrated to estimate ESs and urbanization in Wuhan City, China. The bivariate Moran's I methods were employed to test and visualize the spatial correlations between ESs and urbanization. Spatial regression models were used to describe the spatial dependence of ESs on urbanization. Our results showed that all ESs have globally negative spatial correlations with urbanization, but focusing on local scale allowed spatial correlations to be categorized into four types: high ESs and high urbanization, high ESs and low urbanization, low ESs and high urbanization, and low ESs and low urbanization. Spatial regression models were identified as more suitable to measure the spatial dependence of ESs on urbanization, as they account for the effects of spatial autocorrelation. Among ESs, biodiversity conservation was the one most sensitive to increased urbanization, followed by outdoor recreation, water yield, grain productivity, carbon storage, and erosion prevention. The spatial exploration of the relationship between ESs and urbanization provides practical guidance for urban development planning and environmental protection.

Preliminary Study on Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Texture Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the molecular subtypes of breast cancer based on the texture features derived from magnetic resonance images (MRIs). METHODS: One hundred seven patients with preoperative confirmed breast cancer were recruited. One hundred eight breast lesions were divided into 4 subtypes according to the status of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2, and Ki67. Fisher discriminant analysis was performed on the texture features that extracted from the enhanced high-resolution T1-weighted images and diffusion weighted images to establish the classification model of molecular subtypes. RESULTS: The differentiation accuracies of Fisher discriminant analysis on the enhanced high-resolution T1-weighted images were 82.8% and 86.4% for 1.5T and 3.0T imaging. Fisher discriminant analysis on diffusion weighted imaging texture features were achieved with a classification ability of 73.4% and 88.6%. The combined discriminant results for 2 kinds magnetic resonance images were 95.0%, 97.7% in 1.5T and 3.0T imaging, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The fine results indicated a promising approach to predict the molecular subtypes of breast cancer.

Scale effect on spatial patterns of ecosystem services and associations among them in semi-arid area: A case study in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Identifying scale effect on spatial patterns of ecosystem services and associations among them has been recognized as critical to the sustainable management of ecosystem services. We proposed a method to conveniently integrate ecosystem services of small scale into different larger scales. Taking Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in west China as an example, we analyzed the change regularity of spatial patterns of 7 ecosystem services under 22 different scales. Further, the tradeoffs and synergies among ecosystem services across all scales were compared. The results showed that all of the 7 ecosystem services had been characterized by stable spatial cluster patterns across all of the 22 scales in our study. However, the extent of aggregation decreased with the increase of scale owing to the 'peak cutting and valley filling' process of map scale synthesis. Most of the associations among ecosystem services were robust across scales. However, there was a trend that smaller scales had more pairwise correlations than larger scales. The formation of tradeoffs and synergies among ecosystem services can be attributed to one or more of the following three factors: land use conflict or consistency, common drivers, and interactions among ecosystem services. We attribute the change of relationships among ecosystem services with scales to that the role of factors causing tradeoffs and synergies among ecosystem services may change with scales. Food supply service synergizes with all of the 3 regulating services at almost all of the scales in our study area, indicating that well managed farmlands with high net profit are beneficial to soil conservation and organic matter accumulation in semi-arid area.

Exposure to bisphenol-A affects fear memory and histone acetylation of the hippocampus in adult mice.

Bisphenol-A (BPA), an environmental endocrine disruptor, has been reported to possess weak estrogenic, anti-estrogenic, and anti-androgen properties. Previous evidence indicates that perinatal exposure to low levels of BPA affects anxiety-like and cognitive behaviors in adult rodents. The present study aims to investigate the effect of BPA on emotional memory using the contextual fear conditioning of male mice in adulthood exposed to BPA for 90days. The results indicated that exposure to BPA increased the freezing time 1h and 24h after fear conditioning training. Furthermore, western blot analyses showed that BPA exposure decreased the level of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor subunit NR1 and increased the expression of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) before fear conditioning training in the hippocampus of male mice. One and twenty-four hours after fear conditioning training, BPA enhanced the changes of the expressions of NR1, phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK1/2), and histone acetylation induced by contextual fear conditioning in the hippocampus. These results suggest that long term exposure to BPA enhanced fear memory by the concomitant increased level of NMDA receptor and/or the enhanced histone acetylation in the hippocampus, which may be associated with activation of ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Bisphenol A promotes dendritic morphogenesis of hippocampal neurons through estrogen receptor-mediated ERK1/2 signal pathway.

Bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental endocrine disruptor, has attracted increasing attention to its adverse effects on brain developmental process. The previous study indicated that BPA rapidly increased motility and density of dendritic filopodia and enhanced the phosphorylation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR2B in cultured hippocampal neurons within 30min. The purpose of the present study was further to investigate the effects of BPA for 24h on dendritic morphogenesis and the underlying mechanisms. After cultured for 5d in vitro, the hippocampal neurons from 24h-old rat were infected by AdV-EGFP to indicate time-lapse imaging of living neurons. The results demonstrated that the exposure of the cultured hippocampal neurons to BPA (10, 100nM) or 17ß-estradiol (17ß-E2, 10nM) for 24h significantly promoted dendritic development, as evidenced by the increased total length of dendrite and the enhanced motility and density of dendritic filopodia. However, these changes were suppressed by an ERs antagonist, ICI182,780, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801, and a mitogen-activated ERK1/2-activating kinase (MEK1/2) inhibitor, U0126. Meanwhile, the increased F-actin (filamentous actin) induced by BPA (100nM) was also completely eliminated by these blockers. Furthermore, the result of western blot analyses showed that, the exposure of the cultures to BPA or 17ß-E2 for 24h promoted the expression of Rac1/Cdc42 but inhibited that of RhoA, suggesting Rac1 (Ras related C3 botulinum toxinsubstrate 1)/Cdc42 (cell divisioncycle 42) and RhoA (Ras homologous A), the Rho family of small GTPases, were involved in BPA- or 17ß-E2-induced changes in the dendritic morphogenesis of neurons. These BPA- or 17ß-E2-induced effects were completely blocked by ICI182,780, and were partially suppressed by U0126. These results reveal that, similar to 17ß-E2, BPA exerts its effects on dendritic morphogenesis by eliciting both nuclear actions and extranuclear-initiated actions that are integrated to influence the development of dendrite in hippocampal neurons.

Perinatal exposure to bisphenol-A inhibits synaptogenesis and affects the synaptic morphological development in offspring male mice.

Our previous study indicated that perinatal exposure to low-dose BPA, one of the most common environmental endocrine disrupters, alters behavioral development in offspring mice. Given that synaptic structure of the hippocampus is closely related to behaviors, in the present study, we examined the effects of perinatal exposure to BPA (0.04, 0.4, and 4.0 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) on the synaptic density and the synaptic structural modification of pyramidal cells in hippocampus region CA1 and the expressions of synaptic proteins such as synapsin I and PSD-95 and glutamate NMDA and AMPA receptors in male offspring mice on postnatal day (PND) 14, 21, and 56. The results of electron microscope measurement showed that BPA significantly reduced the numeric synaptic density and altered the structural modification of synaptic interface of pyramidal cells with the enlarged synaptic cleft, the shortened active zone, and the thinned postsynaptic density (PSD) on PND 14, 21, and 56 and the increased curvature of synaptic interface on PND 14 and 21. Further analyses of Western blot indicated that BPA markedly reduced the levels of synapsin I and PSD-95 on PND 14, 21, and 56 and down-regulated NMDA receptor subunit NR1 and AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 during development and young adulthood. These results suggest that perinatal exposure to low level of BPA inhibits synaptogenesis and affects synaptic structural modification after birth. The reduced expressions of synaptic proteins synapsin I and PSD-95 and glutamate NMDA and AMPA receptors may be involved in the negative changes in the synaptic plasticity.

Sex-specific effects of bisphenol-A on memory and synaptic structural modification in hippocampus of adult mice.

Humans are routinely exposed to low levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic xenoestrogen widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastics. The effects of long-term exposure to BPA on memory and modification of synaptic structure in hippocampus of adult mice were investigated in the present study. The adult mice were exposed to BPA (0.4, 4, and 40 mg/kg/day) or arachis oil for 12 weeks. In open field test, BPA at 0.4, 4, or 40 mg/kg/day increased the frequency of rearing and time in the central area of the males, while BPA at 0.4 mg/kg/day reduced the frequency of rearing in the females. Exposure to BPA (0.4 or 40 mg/kg/day) extended the average escape pathlength to the hidden platform in Morris water maze task and shortened the step-down latency 24 h after footshock of the males, but no changes were found in the females for these measures. Meanwhile, BPA induced a reduced numeric synaptic density and a negative effect on the structural parameters of synaptic interface, including an enlarged synaptic cleft and the reduced length of active zone and PSD thickness, in the hippocampus of the male mice. Western blot analyses further indicated that BPA down-regulated expressions of synaptic proteins (synapsin I and PSD-95) and synaptic NMDA receptor subunit NR1 and AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 in the hippocampus of the males. These results suggest that long-term exposure to low levels of BPA in adulthood sex-specifically impaired spatial and passive avoidance memory of mice. These effects may be associated with the higher susceptibility of the hippocampal synaptic plasticity processes, such as remodeling of spinal synapses and the expressions of synaptic proteins (e.g. synapsin I and PSD-95) and NMDA and AMPA receptors, to BPA in the adult male mice.

Gestational and lactational exposure to bisphenol-A affects anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in mice.

Bisphenol-A (BPA), an environmental endocrine disruptor, has attracted attention because of its adverse effects on the brain and behavioral development. Previous evidence indicates that perinatal exposure to low levels of BPA affects anxiety-like and cognitive behaviors in adult rodents. The present study aims to investigate the changes of anxiety- and depression-like behaviors of perinatally exposed mice in adulthood following the gestational (gestation days 7 to 20) or lactational (postnatal days 1 to 14) exposure to BPA (0.4 or 4 mg/kg/d). The results indicated that both gestational and lactational exposures to BPA increased anxiety and depression-like behavior in mice of both sexes. The females with gestational exposure exhibited an increased anxiety-like state in the four models tested, including the open field, dark-light transition task, mirrored maze, and elevated plus maze tasks. Furthermore, the females with lactational exposure and the males with gestational exposure exhibited an anxiogenic-like behavior in two models, whereas the males with lactational exposure exhibited an anxiogenic-like behavior only in the elevated plus maze test. The results of the forced swim task showed that gestational exposure markedly increased the immobile time in both sexes, and the same effect was induced by lactational exposure only with 4 mg/kg/d BPA. Furthermore, western blot analyses showed that both gestational and lactational exposures inhibited the expression of the AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 in the hippocampus and amygdala in mice of both sexes, whereas the level of the NMDA receptor subunit NR1 was increased in the amygdala following gestational exposure but was reduced in the hippocampus of the females with lactational exposure. These results suggest that both gestational and lactational exposures to BPA increased anxiety- and depression-like behaviors of adult mice of both sexes. In addition gestational exposure exhibited a stronger effect on anxiety-like state in females. The altered levels of AMPA and NMDA receptors in the hippocampus and amygdala may be associated with BPA-induced behavioral changes.

[Optimization investigation on the elements in ferrum aluminum silicon alloy by ICP-AES].

A method for the determination of Al, Fe, Ca, Cr, Mn, Ni, Si and Ti elements in ferrum aluminum silicon alloy by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was described. The influence of ICP-AES operating conditions, sample dissolution methods and spectral lines were studied. The preferable experimental conditions were examined, and the influences of coexistent elements on the signals were investigated. The method was applied to the determination of elements in ferrum aluminum silicon alloy samples, and the measured results were in good agreement with the recommended values of the standard steel. The detection limits of the method were 0.029 microg x mL(-1) for Al, 0.004 microg x mL(-1) for Fe, 0.0075 microg x mL(-1) for Ca, 0.0015 microg x mL(-1) for Cr, 0.0009 microg x mL(-1) for Mn, 0.0027 microg x mL(-1) for Ni, 0.045 microg x mL(-1) for Si and 0.003 microg x mL(-1) for Ti. The relative standard deviation (n=6) of this method was between 0.3%-1.8%, and the recoveries by standard addition were in the range of 96.7%-102.9%. The method was used to determine the amount of silicon in alloy samples with satisfactory results, which agreed with those by the standard gravimetry. The method is characterized by good precision, easy operation and convenience to apply.